Improvement in bee-hives



- ZSheets-Sheet 1. 0. COLV-IN.

v i BEE-HIVE. No,170,237, Patented,Nov.23,1875.

M t a i G (a f WITN ESSES INVENTOR ATTORNEYS N.PETERS, PHOTO-LITHUGFIAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C.

Z Sheets-Sheet 2.

o. COLVVIN.

BEE-HIVE;

Patented Nov. 23, 1875.

No.170,Z37.

INV'ENTOR $7M 6 WITNESSES ATTORNEYS able.

STATES PATENT ORSON OOLVI OF VIOKSBURG, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO JOHN L. HAWKINS, OF PORTAGE, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT lN BEE-HIVES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 170,237, dated November 23, 1875; application filed May 22,1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ORSON GoLvIN, of Vicksburg, in the county of Kalamazoo and State of Michigan, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Bee-Hives; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being bad to the annexed drawings making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawing is a representation of a vertical central sectional view of my beehive; and Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are-detail views thereof.

This invention has relation to bee-hives; and it consists in the construction and novel arrangement of the base wall, the chambered inner section, and the rectangular sleeve-wall supported by the corners of said inner section; in the form and construction of the combframes, and the chambered inner section which covers them; in the raised bridge on the top of said inner section, and in the formation of the openings into the honey-boxes corresponding to said raised bridge.

In the accompanying drawings, the letter A designates thebase of the hive, whereof the wall is vertical inside, and provided on the outside with a plinth or rabbet, b, around its 'lower portion, and-with corner-guards a, projecting a little above the upper edge of said wall. The upper edge referred to is rectangularly notched on two sides to receive the bearing ends of the long central ties of the comb-frames, which project beyond the wall for a distance, which is slightly less than the thickness of the corner-guard or of the baseplinth. The rectangular bearing-notches are designed to be as wide as the tie, and serve to keep the frame from vibrating, holding it in a steady position parallel with its fellows. B represents the comb-frames, which are mov- Each frame consists of a middle horizontal supporting-tie, c, to which are secured, below, the vertical bars of the rectangular or lower portion of the frame, and above the inclined bars cl of the upper or triangular portion. When these bars d are joined together at the apex of this portion of the frame a sawkerf is out through the ends, and a short tenonboard, e, let into the kerfed ends and secured therein, thereby making the apexstrong, and preserving strictly the angular relation of the bars d. Both the inclined bar and the vertical bar of the same side, above and below the tie, may be secured thereto with a single brad. At the ends of the tie small spurs n are employed, which form stops to prevent the frame from moving endwise in either direction after the ends of the supporting-tie are seated in the notches of the wall. Upon the edge of the wall of the base A rests the inner chambered section 0; This consists of four vertical walls and a top secured together, and has inclined inside walls D, which extend upward from the edges over the notches of the base wall to near the central line of the top, said central line. being left free for the perforations f, leading to the chamber above the section 0. It will, therefore, appear that on the inside the section (J conforms to the general form of the series of angular upper portions of the comb-frames, having twovertical walls and two inclined walls leading to the perforations f. Between the inclined walls D and the adjacent vertical walls of the section are air-chambers E, which serve to protect the bee-chamber from too great heat. Perforations g are made near the lower edge of each inclined wall, and notched passages h are made in the upper edge where it joins the top. Through one of the end walls of the section an opening, is, leading into the upper part of the angular space between the inclined walls, is made for the ventilation of the comb-chamber. The corners, where the vertical walls of this section join, are seated-within the angular projections of the corner-guards a. On the upper surface of the top of the section 0 are arranged the end blocks 1 and the central block 1, upon which is secured the bridge F, which is located in the direction of and'over. the line Y of perforations f, leading from the angular chamber of the section 0. The space under this bridge and between the blocks is wide enough for the bees to turn about in, and affords, therefore, a roomy passage to the honey.- -boxes. G G indicate the honey-boxes, which rest on the top of section 0. These are of or- FFIGE dinary construction, except that they have the glass opening at the upper portion of one of the outside walls, and the entrance-opening in the lower part of the wall opposite. In

order tQfOI'lll this entrance-opening the wall of the inside terminates below at a height eqnalto that of the bridge F, and when the box is located in place, the shortened wall 122 restson the bridge, and the opening into the box fits to and corresponds with the sideopen- In the ingot the passage under the bridge. end wall of the box is made the ventilatingaperture 19, which is located opp'ositeaperture'stin the exterior wall or case, which are The top H of the section 0 projects beyond the vertical wall provided with wire gratings.

tothe distance of the thickness of the cornerguards a. K indicates the outer or incasing sleeve of the hive. forms-having four vertical walls, and is of such diameter that it will just slip over the projecting top H of the inner section 0, the corner-guards a, and the plinth.- Outside, the

I sleeve K is provided with a bead, g, at about its middle portion, which serves asa handle, whereby it may be lifted. It is also provided with buttons pivoted at one end, and secured by a screw at the other. These buttons are-=perforated to .register with apertures through the wall of the sleeve opposite the perforations in: the ends of the honey-boxes.

Over theperforations in the buttons are se cured pieces of wirecloth 8. Within,the sleeve i K is provided with guide-blocks or guards t, surrounding the perforations through its wall, and corner-stops '0, located in the corners near the upper end of the sleeve, and adapted to rest on the corners of the projecting top H of section 0, and thereby support the said sleeve. Lrepresents the top of the hive, having its sides rabbeted at u, and serving to cover in the honey-boxes. 5

It \villbe observed that the construction is such that the sleeve K is kept away from the base chamber-wall, the wall of the inner chamber O and the honey-boxes leaving a ventilating-space between these portions of the hive This is rectangular in and the sleeve: The hive may be readily 'taken apart without disarranging its different sections.

WVhen desirable, the sleeve and top may be removed, leaving the hive-sections in form and connected. WhatI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isi 1. The combination, with the rabbeted basesection Aof a bee-hive, of theinner section. (3, having projecting top H supported thereon, andthe incasing'sleeve K, having the cornerstops t resting on said projecting top ,H, substantially as specified.

2. The inner section 0, having the angular air-chambers, in combination with the comb. frames, having the bars d inclined toward each other in angular form,substantiallyas speci- 3. The inner section 10, having the angular i air-chambers bounded on the inside by the perforated inclined walls,=the passages through thetop ot' the section between said inclined walls, and the bridge over-said passages, substantially as specified.

4. The combination, with theibridge above the passages through the top. H, of the honey-- boxes having the lateral openings, and fitting against said bridge, substantiallyas specified; 5. The combinatiom; with. the lower or base .section A and the inner section (J, of thecornor-guards a and the incasing-sleeveK,.substantially as specified. i i

6. The bee-chambertop. section 0, having s air-chambers bounded by inclined sides, have ing perforations through their lower portions and at their upper edges, and the air-openings it through the vertical wallof. said bee-chainber in the angular space. between said air chambers, substantially as specified. i

In testimony that I claim the above I have: hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses. I

ORSON OOLVIN Witnesses:

Morcr HILL, GEO. A. SMALLEY. 

